


Still Looking Up

by flowerfan



Series: Season 6 Reaction Fics [9]
Category: Glee
Genre: 6x04 reaction fic, Klaine, M/M, Reference to past bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-27
Updated: 2015-01-27
Packaged: 2018-03-09 07:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3241817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>When Kurt shows up at the apartment to help deal with the intruder, Dave questions Kurt's motives, but Kurt won't back down.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still Looking Up

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers after 6x04

Blaine was on the phone with animal control, the bear cub safely closed up in his bedroom, while Kurt helped Dave down from his perch on top of the table. Rachel had taken off once the excitement was over, claiming that bear fur made her itch, so that left Kurt to keep Dave company.

Kurt busied himself making tea, quickly finding the teapot and smiling at the containers of loose and bagged tea carefully lined up in the cabinet just the way Blaine had always done it at the loft. Apparently he still liked to arrange the tea by their qualities with regard to vocal health (caffeine dried out your vocal cords, mint was even worse, and throat coat tasted awful but was sometimes necessary before a performance).

By the time the water was ready, Dave had calmed down, more or less. He looked a little embarrassed as Kurt passed him a mug. It was understandable, Kurt supposed - the guy probably had at least forty pounds and five inches of height on Blaine, yet he had freaked out and had to call Blaine for help. And to make matters worse, Kurt and Rachel had come along. Dave could probably bench press the three of them together. And it wasn’t as if the bear was scary. Seriously, that bear was so adorable, they had all stood in the doorway cooing at it and taking pictures for a few minutes before their common sense kicked in and they stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. Something Dave could have easily done himself.

And if Dave's embarrassment wasn't enough already, after the bear was safely closed into the bedroom, Blaine had taken one look between his boyfriend still standing on the table, and Kurt waiting patiently next to him, and quickly volunteered to go downstairs to call animal control and wait for them to arrive. Leaving Kurt to deal with Dave. This probably wouldn't go down in history as one of Karofsky's best days.

"You okay?" Kurt asked, noting the way Dave was rotating the mug around in his hands.

Dave shrugged.

"Want to get out of here? You can go get coffee or something, I can wait here with Blaine until someone comes to get the bear," Kurt offered.

Dave looked up at Kurt, a tense look on his face. "I think you've done enough."

Kurt was surprised, but he supposed he really shouldn't be. Maybe Karofsky's passive-aggressive, smarmy possessiveness was about to turn into something less passive. "What do you mean by that?" he asked calmly, pushing away the fleeting thought that perhaps he should be checking for the nearest exit.

"I know you want Blaine back," Dave said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I do," Kurt said, keeping his tone neutral. 

At this admission, Dave seemed to deflate. "Shouldn't you at least try to deny it?"

"Why? I'm not lying to myself or anyone else about this. Not anymore." 

"But he's my boyfriend now," Dave said, his voice edging close to a whine.

"I'm well aware," Kurt said coolly, standing up and shifting so that the table was between them. "Putting aside the fact that Blaine doesn't actually _belong_ to anyone, I'm not doing anything wrong. I’m not going to do anything childish to try to break you two up. But I do want Blaine to take me back, and I won’t deny it. With all my heart, I am hoping that he’ll give me another chance."

Dave stood up too, and started pacing back and forth. "But why?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

Kurt scoffed. "I should think you of all people know why."

"No," Dave shook his head - and Kurt could see the effort he put into not following that with "you asshole" - "no, he's obviously worth more than you and me put together, of course I know why you want to be with him. Anyone in their right mind would. But why now? You had your chance, Kurt," he said, gathering steam, "and you broke up with him. He loved you more than anything, and _you_ broke up with him." Dave was practically spitting out his words now, his eyes flashing.

Kurt wasn't sure how much of Karofsky's growing temper was rooted in concern for Blaine's broken heart or fear that Kurt was going to mend it, but he wasn't having any of it. If there was one thing Kurt Hummel had learned since high school, it was how to handle a bully. Even this one.

"Sit down, please." He waved his hand towards a kitchen chair.

"What?" Dave looked confused.

"I'm going to answer your question, but I don't need you looming over me and yelling." Kurt gazed at Dave steadily, and breathed an inward sigh of relief when Dave complied. Kurt sat too, taking the chair across from Dave, his back to the door. "I made a mistake. A terrible, possibly unforgivable mistake. You know what that's like, right?"

Kurt knew this was a low blow, but for god's sake, he wasn't going to sit quietly and let Karofsky pretend he had the higher ground here. 

"I do," Dave said quietly.

"We all do," Kurt went on. "We're human. We’re fallible. Blaine included." He took a deep breath, and tried to articulate his thoughts clearly. He had beaten himself up about this for long enough now to have worked out at least a possible justification for his behavior, although for some reason he hadn't been able to explain this to Blaine yet. 

"Blaine is one of the very best people I've ever known. He's driven, and generous, and loyal. He loves with his whole heart, openly and bravely. And when he knows something is right, he fights for it. He doesn't give up." Kurt took a steadying breath, because this, this was the hardest part to admit. "I thought I was the same. But when things got rough between us, I gave up. I got scared, and I gave up."

Dave was looking away, but Kurt could tell from the set of his shoulders that he was listening. "I made a mistake. A big one. But mistakes can be fixed. And whether Blaine dates you for another week or another month," Kurt saw Dave flinch at this - just another week might be wishful thinking on Kurt's part, but you never know - "or another year, I am not going to give up as long as I think there's still a chance that I might be able to fix this mistake."

"You think Blaine will leave me for you?" Dave's voice was small, and he kept his eyes fixed on his hands.

"You think so, don't you?" Kurt said softly. 

Dave nodded sadly. Kurt actually felt kind of bad for him, but that didn't change their situation.

"He's the love of my life, Dave," Kurt said, fighting to keep the tremble out of his voice. "I have to fight for him. I don’t have any other option. He fought for me, once, and now it's my turn. I may have screwed up, but I never stopped loving him. And I don't think he's stopped loving me."

A squeak in the floorboards behind them caused Kurt and Dave both to jump, and they turned to find Blaine staring at them, his face flushed. Not only could you have heard a pin drop, you could have heard it whisper. "The, um, animal control people are here. They want us to go outside before they come in to get Blackie."

"Blackie?" Kurt responded automatically, his brain rushing to replay what he had just said. How much of that had Blaine heard? Quite a bit, if the dazed look on Blaine's face was anything to go by.

"Um, yeah. Apparently Sue got him from some private collector in Findlay." Blaine gazed at Kurt, eyes wide, as if he was reciting lines in a play but thinking something completely different.

Dave stood and walked over to Blaine, his glum face falling further when Blaine barely glanced at him. "I'm going over to my dad's," Dave said. "See you later." He pressed a quick kiss to Blaine's cheek and left.

Blaine watched Dave go, and then turned back to Kurt, his face a mess of emotions. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, finally shaking his head, a small smile creeping around the edges of his lips. Seeming to have settled on an approach, he set his shoulders and took a deep breath. "Kurt. There's a decent coffee place a few blocks over. Come with me?"

"If I promise to buy you a medium drip, can we talk?"

Blaine nodded. "I'd like that."

Kurt followed Blaine out of the apartment. As they turned to head off down the street, Kurt could swear he saw Blaine reach out to take his hand, then swiftly slide it into his pocket. He let out a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. Blaine was on the edge, and Kurt could feel it. Blaine wanted this too. Now it was up to Kurt to show him that it was safe to take the leap.

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Jason Mraz's song "I Won't Give Up."


End file.
